The Secret Witness
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“I am the secret witness,” said a voice in his head. “You have been called to testify before me.” The words were soft, but they echoed through him like an explosion of sound from some distant realm.
He felt himself falling into darkness and knew that he was dead—that this must be what it meant when people died with their eyes open. But then there came another voice: one far more familiar than any other; a woman’s voice, warm and soothing as spring rain on parched earth.
It spoke only three simple words: “It is done.” And suddenly everything changed again…
He awoke slowly, finding himself lying naked upon a cool stone floor beneath the stars. There was no pain anywhere inside or outside of his body. His limbs ached slightly where they had fallen asleep during sleep, but otherwise, he seemed uninjured.
As consciousness returned to him, so did memory. For several moments all he could do was stare at nothingness above him while trying desperately not to think about anything else. Then, without warning, the memories rushed back in a flood of images and sensations so intense that for long seconds afterward, he couldn’t even breathe properly.
In fact, he wasn’t sure if breathing would ever come easily again after such an assault.
First, there was the momentary glimpse of the man who’d killed him: tall, dark-haired, handsome enough to make most women weak at the knees. By now he should have known better than to underestimate anyone based solely on appearance alone, especially someone whose face looked almost exactly like his own.
But still, he hadn’t expected it. Not really. After all, how many men look just like you?
Then there was the image of the two children standing beside their mother’s corpse. They didn’t seem particularly surprised by her death, which made sense since she probably wouldn’t have let them know beforehand anyway.
Even though he wanted very much to comfort them somehow, he found himself unable to move or speak until the little boy finally turned away from the scene and began walking off down the road towards town. That left the girl behind, looking up at him with those big brown eyes full of hope and fear.
She reached out tentatively toward him but stopped short when something invisible held her back. Suddenly he realized why she kept moving forward despite being prevented from doing so: because he was supposed to stop her. At least, that’s what the voices told him later on. If only I’d listened!
There followed a series of vivid flashbacks involving a beautiful young woman sitting across a table from him in a tavern somewhere; a sudden burst of light blinding everyone nearby; and a violent struggle between two groups of soldiers fighting over something important.
Next came a brief glimpse of a small room filled with bookshelves, strange machines, and dozens of candles burning brightly against the night sky. Finally, there was the sound of rushing water accompanied by the sight of a waterfall cascading downwards into a pool below.
But none of these things lasted long. Instead, they faded quickly and were replaced by others.
All too soon the visions ended and he found himself staring once more at the ceiling overhead. Only now it was different: instead of being covered in rough plaster, its surface consisted entirely of tiny glass beads, each one reflecting the dim glow of the single candle placed near his head.
The same candle that burned steadily throughout the entire ordeal. Now that he thought about it, he wondered how long ago this whole thing actually happened. Surely he shouldn’t still feel so exhausted. Yet here he lay, completely drained both physically and mentally.
Still, there was something oddly comforting about having the candle constantly lit. Maybe it reminded him of home. Or maybe he simply liked watching the flames flicker hypnotically against the smooth white walls around him.
Either way, he decided to stay put for a few minutes longer before getting dressed. Besides, he needed time to collect his thoughts and figure out what the hell he was going to say to the mysterious person who’d summoned him to appear before him.
As he sat there quietly contemplating his fate, he heard footsteps approaching along the hallway beyond the door. A moment later the latch clicked loudly as whoever stood outside pushed it open and stepped inside.
Without bothering to turn on any lights, the stranger moved silently past the bed and walked straight over to stand directly opposite him. From the corner of his eye he saw the shadow of a tall, thin man wearing a black robe with gold trim.
Although he couldn’t see his face clearly, he recognized the voice immediately. This was the first time he’d met the mysterious individual who supposedly possessed the power to judge him. Despite the fact that he’d never seen him before, he already knew that he trusted him implicitly.
And yet, despite knowing everything there was to know about this man, he also felt strangely intimidated by him. It was difficult to explain. Nevertheless, he forced himself to meet the other man’s gaze squarely.
“Your name is Aric,” the man said softly. “You are currently living in the city of Varda.” He paused briefly then continued, “And you’ve been dead for nearly three months now.”
Aric blinked rapidly, struggling hard to keep control of his emotions. How could he possibly be alive after all this time? When had he died? Why did nobody tell me? What does this mean? Did I do anything wrong while I was alive that I need to confess to now that I’m dead?
All these questions swirled through his mind in rapid succession, causing him to panic slightly. In truth, he wasn’t sure whether he believed what he was hearing. On the one hand, it sounded perfectly reasonable. However, he couldn’t help feeling suspicious about the timing.
After all, if he really was dead, why hadn’t anyone contacted him sooner than this? Wasn’t it possible that someone might want to kill him again just like last time?
He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. There was no point panicking. No matter what happened next, he would deal with it calmly and rationally. As always, he was determined not to give in to his fears.
So instead of arguing with the man standing before him, he merely nodded slowly and replied, “Yes, my name is Aric. You’re right, of course. My death occurred almost exactly three months ago. Exactly thirty-two days, twenty hours, and fifty-three minutes to be precise.
That’s according to the official records kept by the government office responsible for maintaining such things.”
The man smiled faintly and responded, “That’s good. Very good. Though I must admit, your memory seems unusually accurate given the circumstances under which we met today. Perhaps you should consider becoming an accountant or something similar?”
Aric laughed nervously and shook his head. “No thanks. Accounting isn’t really my kind of thing. Anyway, when did you find out about this… erm…” He hesitated momentarily, searching for the appropriate word. “…about my ‘death’?”
His question caused the man to frown slightly but he didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stared intently at Aric, waiting patiently until finally, he spoke again.
“I don’t remember precisely, though it was probably only a couple of weeks after your body disappeared from the morgue where they stored it. At least, that’s what I think happened. But even if I’m mistaken, it doesn’t change much.
Your spirit has returned to life. Whether or not you were ever truly dead remains to be seen. Regardless, you have a choice to make now. Do you wish to return to the land of the living?”
Aric frowned deeply, trying desperately to recall every detail of his own experience during those final moments before he died. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite bring back the exact sequence of events that led up to his death.
Still, he recalled enough to understand how important this decision was going to be. If he chose to stay dead, he wouldn’t be able to go home anymore. Not unless he wanted to risk being killed once more. Of course, there was still the possibility that he might choose to remain here forever.
The thought terrified him, however. His heart ached so badly that he feared it would burst into flames. Still, he knew that he needed to try. Besides, he reasoned, maybe this place isn’t actually real either. Maybe none of this is happening.
Then again, perhaps it is. Either way, he decided, he can’t afford to let fear rule his actions. Whatever happens, he needs to act decisively and without hesitation.
With that in mind, he looked steadily at the man standing across from him and asked, “What will happen if I decide to come back to life?”
The man shrugged indifferently and answered, “Nothing special. Just another day in paradise, basically. Nothing changes except that you’ll get to live longer.”
Aric grinned broadly as he realized that he’d won. This was his chance to escape! Now he just needed to figure out how to leave this strange world behind. He turned away from the man and started walking towards the door leading outside, determined to take advantage of whatever opportunity presented itself.
Before long, however, he stopped abruptly and spun around to face the other man again.
“Wait!” he cried urgently. “Before I go, there’s one more thing I need to ask you. It’s very important.”
Without saying a single word, the man simply raised his eyebrows expectantly. Clearly, he expected Aric to continue speaking.
After several seconds of agonizing indecision, Aric sighed heavily and said, “How am I supposed to know who killed me?”
***
As soon as she heard her husband’s voice, Erika felt herself relax visibly. She quickly ran over to the bedside table and picked up the phone. Although it was difficult to see clearly due to the darkness surrounding them, she managed to discern a faint glow coming from beneath the covers.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw that the light had been created using nothing more than a small flashlight attached to the end of a pen.
She gasped softly upon realizing that the call was originating from inside the room. For some reason, neither of their phones seemed to work properly. In fact, both devices appeared to have completely shut off.
Yet somehow, someone on the other side of the line was managing to communicate with them despite all these obstacles. When she glanced at the clock hanging beside the bed, she noticed that it was already past midnight. That meant that they hadn’t left the hotel yet.
How could that be? Hadn’t they gone through the front entrance and exited onto the street less than half an hour ago? Suddenly, she remembered that they’d taken the elevator down to the lobby first instead of climbing the stairs like usual.
Apparently, they’d ridden the lift straight to the ground floor rather than taking the steps. And then, once they reached the bottom, she’d lost track of time while talking to the concierge. By the time she came to her senses, they must’ve entered the building via the rear emergency exit.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching rapidly closer to the bedroom. A moment later, the door swung open wide and two men stepped inside. One was tall and lean, wearing a black suit jacket with matching slacks.
The second was shorter and stocky, sporting a full beard and dressed entirely in white. Both men wore sunglasses, which hid their faces from view. As far as she could tell, they weren’t carrying any weapons. Nevertheless, something told her that they posed a serious threat.
They were definitely dangerous people, judging from the menacing aura emanating from each of them.
Erika immediately dropped the receiver and backed away from the wall, desperate to find somewhere else to hide. However, there wasn’t anywhere nearby to run to. There was no other part of the room beside the mattress and box spring.
Even worse, there didn’t appear to be anything within reach that she could use for protection. All she had available to defend herself against such formidable adversaries was the tiny nightstand next to the bed.
Unfortunately, it contained only a lamp, a pair of reading glasses, and a bottle of water. None of those things would do much good when facing armed intruders.
Still, she couldn’t allow herself to panic. Instead, she took a deep breath and tried to regain control of her emotions. She needed to think logically about what she should say or do next. After several moments of careful consideration, she finally made up her mind.
First, she needed to identify the person on the other end of the phone before making a move. Second, she needed to determine whether either of the men standing in the doorway posed a greater danger than the other.
Third, she needed to assess the situation based on everything she knew so far. Finally, she decided to act decisively after weighing all three factors simultaneously. If she failed to make the right decision, she might never get another chance.
With that thought firmly fixed in her mind, she began moving forward slowly but deliberately towards the bed.
The End